On Tuesday, Larry Johnson ended his holdout and agreed to a 5 year extension, which would pay him $43.2 million ($19 million guaranteed), which would make him the highest paid running back in the NFL based on salary per year.  Not only is this deal going to make Larry Johnson rich, it also makes him look incredibly smart. (more…)

The Philadelphia Eagles released pro bowl linebacker Jeremiah Trotter today (more…)

As I posted a few days ago, the Jets signed University of Pittsburgh cornerback Darrelle Revis to a 6 year deal, even though Revis had previously had his heart set on a 5 year deal. In that post, I was curious as to how the Jets were able to swing the 6 year deal with Revis. Well, The Journal News report seems to indicate that the Jets have given Revis an option to terminate his 6th year, while leaving themselves the ability to pay Revis so as to buy out his right to terminate the last year. The problem? this specific buyout option is based on incentives that Revis is all but guaranteed to obtain during the duration of his contract, a situation which the Owners and Players could not agree on when amending the CBA in 2006. The contract was ultimately finalized, but the problem of deciding what to do with the money from the buyout in a situation where the incentives are guaranteed, is still undecided.

In actual football news, the Jets expect Revis to play next week against the Giants.

The Journal News: NFL questions Revis’ contract with Jets

• Carlos Zambrano re-signed with the Cubs on Friday. He had been operating under a 1 year $12.4 million dollar deal, and there was some concern that he may not stay with the team after this season because of the team being under new ownership after the 2007 season. But, apparently things have been worked out, much to Zambrano’s benefit. The new deal? 5 years, $91 million dollars (18.5 million/year, for those of you at home). Zambrano is currently represented by Barry Praver…who apparently does not have a website, or has a very hard to find website.
• The Patriots re-signed four year veteran defensive end Ty Warren to a new maximum 5 year $35 million dollar deal with $18 million in guarantees. Warren is represented by Vann McElroy, of SSG Select Sports Group, who came in very quickly and got the job done, as Warren was searching for a new agent only a few weeks ago. Somewhere in Patriot land, Asante Samuel is not very pleased.
• Soccer, as most already know, is taken very seriously over in Europe. How serious? A club Jiul Petrosani (a Romanian soccer club) player, Mihai Lungan, was physically beaten this week (Yes, i said beaten), after trying to cancel his contract for not being paid on time. Lungan and his agent, Dumitru Tudor, are actually accusing Lungan’s boss, club owner Alin Simota, of ordering his bodyguards to beat Lungan. Ouch. Could you imagine this in America? The Red Sox stop paying David Ortiz his money, and Ortiz tries to cancel the contract and then Theo Epstein sends bodyguards to “rough him up”? I’d love to see them try to do that…
• The Packers released oft-injured veteran wide receiver Robert Ferguson today. Drafted in 2001, Ferguson played in only 60 games, catching 116 passes. Injuries plagued Ferguson, as he only played a full season once, in 2002. His most serious injury came at the hands of Jaguars safety Donovan Darius, who’s clothesline hit on Ferguson in 2004 caused him serious neck and head injuries, causing him to miss the rest of the season. Ferguson is represented by Brian Overstreet, of the E-Overstreet team.

FindLaw: Zambrano signs 5-year extension

ESPN: Pats sign Warren to 5-year deal with maximum $35 million extension

FindLaw: Romanian soccer player beaten after trying to cancel his contract

Yahoo! Sports: Packers release receiver Ferguson as expected

Yesterday evening, Cornerback Darrelle Revis, the second to last holdout for the upcoming NFL season, inked a deal with the New York Jets. ESPN’s John Clayton reports that Revis, the 14th pick in the draft, signed a 6 year deal worth approximately 36 million. The specific details of the contract were not disclosed, but the disagreement between the parties was contract length (Revis wanted 5 years, similar to the players picked near him in the draft, and the Jets wanted a 6 year deal), so it would be interesting to see what exactly the Jets gave up in order to placate Revis.

Revis is represented by agents Neil Schwartz and Jonathan Feinsod, who have their own agency group, Schwartz/Feinsod.

…and yes, in case you were wondering, first overall pick, JaMarcus Russell is still unsigned.

ESPN: Jets reach agreement with 1st round draft pick Revis

Major League Baseball suspended Brewers First Baseman Prince Fielder for 3 games on Wednesday for “inappropriate and aggressive conduct” towards home plate umpire Wally Bell on Sunday, a game which the Brewers lost, 6-4, in Houston. Inappropriate and aggressive conduct…I haven’t looked, but I wonder if MLB has this defined in the collective bargaining agreement or in its bylaws or something? I think you almost need something to objectify inappropriate conduct such as Fielder’s (he was arguing with the umpire, and video showed he may have bumped him as well) because what one person considers inappropriate may not be inappropriate to someone else. If Fielder doesn’t appeal, he will begin serving the suspension Wednesday night, when the Brewers play the Cardinals.

In other non-professional baseball news, former major league all star shortstop, now Long Island Ducks standout (maybe? i don’t follow the Long Island Ducks as close as I once used to) Jose Offerman decided to go “Crazy Joe” on Bridgeport Bluefish pitcher (yes…Those Bluefish of the Atlantic League, although I’m sure you already knew that) Matt Beech. Apparently Offerman homered in the 1st inning, was hit with a pitch in the second inning, and then decided that he wasn’t up for playing baseball anymore in the Atlantic league and charged the mound with his bat. One Matt Beech broken finger and concussed catcher, Joe Nathan’s, later Offerman was being charged with two counts of second degree assault, an indefinite suspension from the Ducks, and possibly a lifetime ban from Atlantic League baseball altogether. It’s fairly interesting that Offerman was charged with assault, when ordinarily participants in a baseball brawl, regardless of how one sided, usually are able to escape without any potential criminal culpability.

The general rule when dealing with charges and damages in a sport such as baseball requires that a voluntary participant is only liable to another voluntary participant in a contact sport if the injuries they receive are based on willful and wanton or intentional misconduct (the “contact sport exception”). So, the question is, if every other baseball brawl in history that didn’t have a bat wasn’t considered to be willful or wanton or intentional, why is it that having a bat landed Offerman in jail? I’m not condoning Offerman’s conduct, just a little curious as to why other brawls have turned out bloody but have had no off the field repercussions, and Offerman’s incident has him posting a $100,000 bond.

ESPN: Former Big Leaguer Arrested for Melee

ESPN: Fielder suspended, fined, for ‘inappropriate and aggressive conduct’

UPDATE, August 16th. Jose Offerman…now with slideshow bat swinging action!

UPDATE 2: August 21st. Jose Offerman might have the best defense ever.